


I'll Help You!

by Adagal



Category: Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Super Mario & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Friendship, Gen, How Do I Tag, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Slight Memory Loss, Teamwork, takes place during chapter 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:22:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29118195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adagal/pseuds/Adagal
Summary: A shadow awakens, without a name or body. They were stolen. He needs help.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> just as a bit of context, the implied abuse in the tags I believe is part of the game (though it's toned down because, you know, kids game). For more context, at various points in TTYD, Vivian's sisters (one in particular at least) will put her down, accuse her of stuff, name call her, threatens to punish her, etc. I figured I should put it in the tags just in case, and then explain here just so it's clear to someone who clicks on this and may not know what's up.  
> Someone let me know if something should be changed here, I don't wish to come off as insensitive whatsoever.

The shadow managed to pull himself off the ground. What happened to him? The last thing he could remember was fighting someone, then everything went black. Though he did manage to catch a hint of red escaping through a trapdoor as he woke up. Who could that have been?

He decided to follow it down the trapdoor, and out of the mansion. Oh yeah, the mansion! Now the shadow remembered a little. He had to go to a mansion to get a… or was it to find a...

The shadow shook it off, he could worry about his memory later. Now he just had to focus on leaving this place and figuring out where to go and what to do next.

After a flight of stairs and a hop down a landing, the shadow left the mansion into the forest.

The shadow could've also sworn he was in the forest before, and someone was most definitely with him. He must’ve been here if he was in the mansion previously, no? Nobody seemed to notice him walk by, whether that be the piranha plants, or the little daisy characters that scuttled around. That was likely for the best, he now remembered having to fight them once or twice already.

Just as he was out of the deepest part of the woods, a raspy, almost nasally voice called out at him, overlaid with one much jollier, and Italian accented to boot.

“Hey, Slick! I’ve been waiting for you!” A person in red and blue clothing jumped out from a hole in the sky. He landed in front of the shadow, startling him.

“Mario, yeah?” the person asked. “Nice name you have! And your body too! Wow can you jump, even with these stubby legs!”

Suddenly, it all came rushing back to the shadow now. He _was_ Mario! Or, he used to be, at least. He was going to the mansion in the forest to find a Crystal Star and figure out who was turning the people of Twilight Town into pigs! It was most definitely the person who now controlled the shadow’s body.

“Quite a shame, though,” “Mario” continued. “I almost feel bad, stealing your name and body like this. The townsfolk really love you, or me I guess. Makes me wish I could share this popularity with you. But I won’t, Slick! And you know why?” The shadow shook his head.

“Because I’m just that kinda guy!” “Mario” gave a menacing laugh, which felt a little less menacing when it was coming out of a voice that was much more happy sounding than evil.

“And besides, even if you tried to convince these twits that I’m not the real Mario, they won’t believe you! You’re just a shadow of your former self, and quite literally at that! You can’t use your name, your voice, no one will even spare a second glance at you, thinking you’re just another shadow on their wall. Tough luck, I say!”

The shadow growled at “Mario’s” words. “Mario” just gave a hearty chuckle before speaking again.

“Though, I don’t feel it’s too fair to just erase you here and now. So I’ll tell you what,” he said. “If you can guess my real name, I’ll give you your name and body back, no strings attached. What cha say? What’s my name, Slick?”

A silence lingered in the air. “Mario” tapped his foot impatiently. The shadow racked his brain, hoping he could remember a hint of the bodysnatcher’s name. Ultimately, nothing came to mind. The shadow shook his head.

“Oh well!” “Mario” sang. “You gave it your best shot! Now we fight!”

Both the shadow and “Mario” clenched their fists, ready for a battle. The shadow trembled a little, could he really take on himself like this? Based on how “Mario” was stanced, he was waiting for the shadow to make the first move. The shadow hesitated for a second more, and then he turned and ran away, as fast as his legs could carry him. From the distance, he could hear “Mario” make a sad noise.

He couldn’t take on “Mario”, at least not now. None of his partners were with him, and he had no clue how strong this guy could really be. He’d have to find one of his friends, and fast. So with fear in his heart, the shadow ran out of the dark forest into Twilight Town.

As the shadow walked in, no one seemed to pass a second glance at him, much like the enemies of the forest. “Mario” was right, no one seemed to care that the shadow was there at all. Instead, the townsfolk seemed to be more interested in a particular house that was visibly bustling with happy energy. Curiously, the shadow peeked inside to find the mayor of Twilight Town, “Mario”, and all his friends together, celebrating the retrieval of another Crystal Star. The shadow could feel his throat tightening, this couldn’t be real! He had to try and get through to someone, anyone!

He tried to get Goombella’s attention, then Koops’, then Flurrie, then finally the Yoshi child, but none of his partners seemed to notice him at all. Even when he tried to talk to the mayor, the mayor simply commented on the weird shadow on his wall. Finally defeated, the shadow left the house, unnoticing of “Mario’s” snide smile directed at him.

Out in the field, the shadow now overheard the sound of someone crying. He looked over to see a shadow person wearing a red striped hat was the one crying in the field. Wasn’t she one of the Shadow Sirens? Yes, she was one of the bad guys, but maybe she would be able to see him? It was his only chance now.

Hesitantly, Mario walked up to the lady and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to look at him, her hair all frazzled.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she weeped. “I was just looking for something, but I couldn’t find it. Oh, if Beldam comes back and sees I still don’t have it…” She continued to cry after that.

The shadow gave a comforting pat on her shoulder. She didn’t react, so he backed away. Perhaps he could look for what the Shadow Siren was missing.

He searched through various patches of grass, while trying to remember what her name might’ve been, if he ever learned it in the first place. Suddenly, he felt a round object in one patch, and pulled out a grenade. Wait, a grenade? The shadow flailed around, tossing the grenade from hand to hand before realizing that probably wasn’t the best idea. Looking at the object closer, there was a tag on the pin that said, “Property of Beldam!” The shadow heard the Siren mention a Beldam, ths was most likely what she was looking for. His whole body shaking, the shadow returned the grenade back to her.

“Oh, you found it? Thank you so much!” she squealed, snatching the object right out of the shadow’s hands. “Now my sister won’t punish me! Finally!” She stared at the grenade, turning it around in her hand. Suddenly, her smile turned to a frown.

“No! It broke! How? I-” The Siren tried to form the words, but ultimately sighed and gave up. The shadow almost felt bad that the grenade didn’t work. Was it because of him?  
“My sister must’ve broken it when she dropped it. I told her I never had it…” the Siren grumbled. “She’s still gonna be mad at me though. She’ll probably punish me worse, too. So much for lucky days…”

She started crying again. The shadow wanted to do something, but should he? This lady was still part of the Shadow Sirens, but even then…

The shadow placed his hands on the Siren’s shoulders and gave her the most determined look he could express, given that his whole being was nothing but purple. The Siren looked at him, a weak smile on her face.

“You want to help, don’t you?” she asked. “That’s very nice of you, but my sisters will be back soon. I don’t know if they’d want me to ask for help, let alone have someone help me. They’re protective like that.”

 _Are they?_ the shadow thought. The Siren gasped suddenly, as though she forgot something.

“Oh, silly me! I forgot your name! I at least would like to know your name, since you were so nice to me!” she grinned.

The shadow looked crestfallen. Head and shoulders hanging, he shook his head. The Siren looked nervous.

“Oh, I’m sorry! Did I say something wrong?” she asked, hands clasped together. The shadow shook his head again, pointing to himself. The Siren’s mouth made a small o.

“Oh, was your name stolen? That’s quite a shame, but that just kinda happens sometimes.” The Siren immediately made a face after her sentence.

“Wait, what am I saying? I’m sorry, that almost never happens! Your name was stolen, correct? That’s terrible! I’m so sorry!” The shadow put his hands up, as though to say she was alright with her slip of the tongue.

“No,” the Siren explained, “You were worried about me this whole time, while you don’t have a name anymore! I… You know what? I don’t care about my sisters anymore! Forget them! Forget the bomb! I’m going to help you get your name and body back!”

The shadow jumped back a little in surprise. He pointed to her, she was really going to help him?

“Yes, of course I’ll help you. I have to repay you for helping me earlier, don’t I?” she said. “Shall we head off, then?” The shadow cocked his head to the side as though considering his options, but then nodded. The Siren grinned, fixing her hair so that it fell in a swoop over one of her eyes. Or was that just blush? It was hard for the shadow to tell.

“Oh, by the way,” the Siren said, “My name’s Vivian, in case you were curious.” The shadow nodded. Now that he had someone helping him, he felt a little more confident in going against “Mario” again, whenever that may be.


	2. Chapter 2

Both the shadow and Vivian made a quick trek across town, before Vivian stopped. She put a hand to her chin, then pointed to the shadow.

“I guess to start off, we should figure out the name of that ghost that stole your body, shouldn’t we?” The shadow nodded, he hadn’t really thought of that yet.

“Before we wander off to who knows where, let’s try to get all the information we know right here, no? And I think I know how we can do that…” Vivian pointed up to the desolate trees, where only a few blackbirds sat.

“Aside from eavesdropping on the townsfolk, I’ve heard that birds always have loads of information at their disposal. When there’s a group of birds together, that usually means they’re gossiping with each other about what they know. Like that group of mean girls at school who always talk about you behind your back.” Vivian shuddered, as though her analogy was a memory she knew all too well.

“Anyway, I can help you listen to those birds so we can figure out the name of that ghost. How’s that sound?”

The shadow cocked his head to the side. What would she do to help him?

“I can show you if you want. Follow me!” Vivian gestured, and the shadow followed her to a tree that housed three blackbirds.

“Now, if you have a breath still, you might wanna hold it, ok?” Vivian said. And before the shadow could ask what she was talking about, she pulled him under the ground.

It felt weird. The shadow could still hear as though he was above the ground, but other than that, he couldn’t see anything, and the world around him felt like nothing. He felt numb.

Vivian and the shadow tried three crow trees, and yet they got no information at all. Unless, of course, you counted crows discussing alternative fuel sources and the digital age as information.

“Let’s try just one more tree, ok?” Vivian asked, though even she seemed apprehensive, not willing to face what may happen if she failed her new friend. The shadow agreed nonetheless, and together the two melted into the shadows once more.

“That Mario guy, he’s not really Mario, is he?” one crow asked.

“If you’re talking about the Italian guy chatting with the mayor still, yeah. That’s not the Mario I’ve come to remember. Sounds like the poor soul was bodysnatched,” the second crow explained.

“The even more unfortunate thing,” Crow #1 continued, “no one knows the bodysnatcher’s name! If you can’t say the guy’s name, you won’t be able to get the body back, and he gets unlimited power at his disposal. And nobody wants that when their whole life has practically been taken from them.”

“I feel ya there,” Crow #2 agreed. “Though, isn’t there that one guy from underneath Creepy Steeple who knows the ghost’s name?”

“I thought it was a rumor, but I wouldn’t know. I’ve never checked.” After Crow #1’s final words, the two birds flew off the tree and into the distance. Satisfied form the result, Vivian and the shadow rose up.

“Finally!” Vivian cheered. “So if we head to the Creepy Steeple, we should be able to figure out that ghost’s name! You with me, uh… mister? Is Mister ok?” The shadow nodded, whatever she wanted to call him for the moment was alright by him.

“Then let’s set off, Mister!” Vivian declared, floating alongside the shadow out of town, a never before seen determined expression on her face.

As the shadow and Vivian headed out of town, they strolled by a place somewhat familiar to the shadow, and even more so when they heard that voice again.

“Hey, Slick! Ya miss me?”

“Mario” jumped out of the sky once again, and landed with a great thud.

“So this is the one who stole your name and body?” Vivian asked, pointing to “Mario”. “Your body looks somewhat familiar to me, can’t really pinpoint who though…”

“Doesn’t matter, cause either way both of ya are getting clobbered!” “Mario” cackled. “But like last time, I’ll give ya your chance. Guess my name, get your body back, end of story. Take your guess, Slick!”

Vivian stared at the shadow, who continued to rack his brain for any possible name he could come up with. But once again, he shook his head, he had nothing.

“Same as last time, Slick?” “Mario” said. “That’s kinda lame, but I ain’t here to judge. Let’s fight then! And don’t you dare run like last time, got it?”

Both parties got into fighting stances, but the shadow looked as though he still wanted to make a run for it.

Quickly, the shadow tried to run past “Mario” and get away, but suddenly, the sensation of a blow from a stone hammer made him fall over.

“Hey, I said no running, Slick!” “Mario” yelled, his voice a pout. Vivian stared at the scene in front of her, terrified. “Mario” raised his hammer again, right over the shadow’s head.

“Now I can finally eliminate you!” he cheered, preparing his attack, but right as he swung the hammer, a pair of gloved hands rose up from the ground and pulled the shadow under.

“What the heck?” “Mario” cried.

In the distance, Vivian rose up from the ground, the shadow held up by the arms as he rose up beside her.

“Come on mister,” she whispered, “Let’s get out of here!” She grabbed the shadow by the hand and floated off with him in tow.

“That guy must’ve been waiting for you to arrive so he could ambush you! Hopefully that’s the last time we see him so we can focus on helping you out.”

After running for a little bit, the shadow pulled away from Vivian’s hands, and stopped to catch his breath. Vivian stopped and turned around.

“Oh, sorry mister. I just wanted to get you away from that fight. We can keep going now whenever you’re ready.”

The two stood in the field for a few minutes, watching all the Amaza Daisies go by while they rested up for the Steeple.

“Hey mister?” Vivian asked. “I know you don’t really have a name or anything right now, but do you have any other family members? I’m just curious, you don’t have to answer if you don’t feel like it.”

The shadow nodded and held up a finger. He had one sibling.

“Sister or brother?” Vivian held up one finger when she said sister, and two fingers when she said brother. The shadow held up a two.

“Younger or older?” The Shadow Siren used the same finger scheme with her question. The shadow held up a one.

“It must be nice, being the older sibling,” Vivian lamented. “Both my sisters have always been pretty mean to me, never appreciate the things I tried to do for them. Oh, sorry for venting like this, mister. I'm sure you love your brother very much, and vice versa.” The shadow held up his hands, it was totally ok. He then jabbed a thumb in the direction of the Steeple. Vivian nodded and the two set off.

It didn’t take much more walking for the shadow and Vivian to arrive at the mansion once again. As Vivian was just about to head up to the doorstep, the shadow pointed to a pipe nearby.

“There? Really?” Vivian asked. The shadow nodded. Vivian shrugged and hopped down the pipe with him.

After stepping past a collection of Buzzy Beetles and obtaining another badge for the shadow to equip, the two arrived at a dead end. The shadow pointed at the wall across from them and pushed it. Surprisingly to Vivian, the wall moved! Unfortunately, it could only go so far, and the wall pushed itself back into place after a couple feet. The shadow scratched the back of his head, now what? He looked back to Vivian for any ideas, but the Shadow Siren seemed more interested in the wall’s surroundings.

“Hey mister?” she then asked. “Can you push that wall back again please?” The shadow nodded and did as asked. After the wall pushed back to normal, Vivian snapped her fingers.

“I think I know how we can progress!” she said. “It looked like the wall was being pushed up, like a ramp. There’s probably some sort of tunnel that’s being blocked off. Try it again, but signal me when the wall is about to go back. Trust me on this, ok?”

The shadow looked somewhat skeptical, but agreed to go along with the plan and pushed the wall back for the third time, Vivian close at his side. When he couldn’t push any further, he tugged on Vivian’s arm, and she dragged the two of them into the shadows. They could hear the wall moving above them, and when they came back up, the wall was on the other side. They were in the tunnel now, like Vivian had predicted.

“Aha! Let’s keep going, mister!” the Shadow Siren cheered, floating off ahead of the shadow.

The end of the tunnel led to a room with a door, which the duo eagerly passed through, only to find an enclosed space with a Shine Sprite and a checkpoint marker. Vivian huffed.

“Let’s try to find any clues,” she muttered.

She and the shadow wandered around the room, when the shadow discovered a small slit in one of the walls. He tapped Vivian on the shoulder to show her.

“That’s awfully tiny though,” she remarked. “I think only a fly could fit in there, how would we make it through?”

The shadow rubbed his chin, deep in thought. Then, he remembered something he had that could help. He tapped on Vivian and gestured to himself, before he twisted his body into a thin cylinder, a perfect fit for the slot. The Shadow Siren leaped back a little in fear, but then loosened up when she figured out the shadow was ok.

“Alright, if you’re ok with this. I’ll just follow you then,” Vivian mumbled before heading into the floor. The shadow hopped in cylinder form as a response, before rolling through the slot and down the tunnel.

After a flight of stairs, the tunnel ended in a large room like before, this time with a boarded up piece of flooring in the middle instead of the standard brick flooring. The shadow unrolled himself to normal and knocked on the wall, signaling to Vivian that it was over. Slowly, the Shadow Siren rose up next to the shadow, a relieved smile on her face.

“Thanks, mister. Now what should we do?” she asked.

The shadow replied by tapping his foot on the boards, then jumped high in the air, only to crash down through the wood, down to the ground. Vivian gasped.

“You ok, mister?” she squeaked. The shadow held a thumbs up from where he stood. Vivian sighed in relief, then floated down to join him.

The two wandered around in what seemed to be a basement for a while, until they stumbled into a separate room. As soon as they walked through the door, it closed behind them and clicked shut. Terrified, the shadow tugged on the door handle, but to no results. They were locked in.

“Well, at least we can look for more clues here,” Vivian whispered, fidgeting her hands. Almost immediately after, the shadow found two more items to store in his pockets buried deep within chests, a key, and a piece of paper with a capital ‘P’ written on it. Vivian stared at the key and paper over the shadow’s shoulder.

“Those could be useful,” she thought out loud.

The shadow stored the paper in his pocket, but kept the key tight in his hand, as he stared at the locked door. He took a step forward, when a loud squawk broke his attention.

“Hey, a parrot!” Vivian giggled. “I always liked those things. Never had one as a kid, though.”

“Squawk! Hey chucklenuts! Squawk!” the parrot crowed. The shadow gave a confused wave hello.

“Hey Mr. Parrot, can you tell us the name of that ghost?” Vivian asked. The parrot made a high pitched screech in reply, so loud that the duo had to cover their ears.

“Hah, as if I’d tell you losers!” he laughed. Vivian scowled at the bird.

“Fine then, we’ll leave!” she snapped, pulling the shadow under the floor with her before he had time to object. Now the parrot sat on his perch alone, in silence.

The air continued to be silent for a while, until the parrot spoke again.

“Man, I shouldn’t have made those two leave,” he sighed. “They were at least nice to have around for company. Though that girl was kinda dumb to ask about the bodysnatcher’s name. Then again, who could blame her? I’m the only one who knows it, and because of it, I’ve been locked up here for who knows how long guarding a letter of the stupid name! Doopliss, you better give me something nice for keeping it a secret for this long!” The parrot grumbled to himself for a minute longer before falling asleep. Slowly, Vivian and the shadow rose up from the floor, beside themselves.

“First of all, sorry for dragging you down like that mister,” the Shadow Siren apologized, bowing towards the shadow. The shadow nodded, he accepted the apology.

“But second, we know his name! The guy who took your body! That’s wonderful! Now let’s get out of here and give that guy what for!” Vivian punched the air happily, the shadow nodded eagerly and unlocked the door, and the two ran off out of the mansion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok, one more chapter to go now! just because this one was going to be way too long if it was two chapters long. that being said, if you made it this far, congrats!!!


	3. Chapter 3

The shadow and Vivian burst out of the doors of the Creepy Steeple, happy to have finally learned the name of the bodysnatcher. They twirled around each other down the steps and danced through the forest, rushing past all the daisies and clefts who once blocked their path, but now sat on the wayside, more confused than anything. All was cheerful in the desolate woods until they got to the familiar place once again, in the crossroads to Twilight Town.

“Greetings once again, Slick!” 

“Mario” jumped out once again from the sky, but landed flat on his face this time. He quickly got up and dusted himself off, ignoring the duo’s giggles.

“Wipe that smirk off your face, before I erase it off for ya!” he shouted. “But before we get to that, I’ll give ya one last chance to guess my name, just cause I’m such a stand-up guy. So go ahead Slick, what’s my name?”

The shadow walked right up to “Mario’s” face, then shouted, though his voice still projected as soft and monotone,

“DOOPLISS!”

“Mario” jumped back, clearly shocked.

“What did you say?” he asked, his voice nothing more than a whisper. “You didn’t… say my…

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? HOW DID YOU- WHO- I’M… feeling… ugh…” Doopliss ran around in a circle for a couple seconds, before rushing off to the woods, pushing past the shadow and Vivian and sending them crashing to the ground, all the while muttering to himself about how they could’ve found him out.

Vivian hopped up, pulling the shadow up with her. “After him! We’re almost there, mister! We’re gonna get your name back before you know it!”

The duo dashed off after Doopliss through the forest, pushing past any enemy that got in their way in pursuit of freeing the shadow from his troubles. Soon enough, they arrived once again at the Steeple, as Doopliss broke through the front doors, smashing the wood to bits.

“He won’t get away that easily!” Vivian yelled, running alongside the shadow into the Steeple. The shadow looked at her with surprise in his eyes as they gave chase, was she really that determined to help him? They’d only known each other for one or two hours now, maybe even less than that.

The two never took their eyes off Doopliss as he burst through every door (quite literally) and up every staircase until they reached the top as before.

“Wow, you two really are that persistent, ain’t cha?” Doopliss asked, out of breath. “Unfortunately, your journey ends here. Well, pals? Ready for a real battle? Uh, yahoo and yipee and all that?” Doopliss turned to a small pink Goomba, a teenaged Koopa Troopa, a cloud… lady? And a small, blue Yoshi child, who all had grins on their faces.

“Totally, Mario!” Goombella declared, giving Doopliss a wink. “We’re right here to help ya!” Everyone else cheered in agreement.

“This freakazoid is so dumb, he teamed up with a Shadow Siren!” the Yoshi taunted. “Well we ain’t letting ya hurt Gonzales any longer, ya hear?”

Vivian bit her lip at the Yoshi’s words. How could such a young child be so mean? Then, she remembered Goombella’s words, saying they would stand up with… Mario? But if Doopliss was posing as Mario, then that could only mean…

“Wait, are you Mario, mister?” she asked, one hand over her mouth. The shadow looked up at her and nodded solemnly.

“Holy- how could I have been so blind? I’m so stupid, how did I not know that you were Mario? All this time?” Vivian continued to ramble off questions to herself, while the shadow tried to comfort her. Doopliss just laughed.

“Having relationship troubles, Slick? Too bad, but ya might wanna hold it for never! Cause we’re gonna defeat you both!”

The rest of “Mario’s” team stood back, letting Doopliss and Goombella start off the fight. The shadow tried to reach out for Vivian, who ignored the gesture, as she was still muttering how she was such an idiot for various reasons. Oh, how he wished he could try to tell her that everything was ok, especially when they weren’t busy trying to defend their lives against Doopliss and Goombella. Suddenly, a large book hit him square in the head.

“That’s for messing with our Mario, creep!” Goombella shouted, already buried in another of her books, possibly looking for any information that could help her and Doopliss out.

The shadow watched as the two worked together. Goombella was his friend, a Goomba with a mission and a dream. He didn't want to bring himself to harm her. Then he saw Doopliss nodding alongside her, and the shadow remembered he wasn't Mario to her, not anymore.

Reluctantly, the shadow tapped on one of his jumping badges, jumped up high, and hopped on Goombella numerous times. When he was finished, she let out a pained cry that was hard for the shadow to hear.

“I’m sorry… Mario…” she groaned before passing out on the floor. Flurrie hurriedly grabbed the Goomba away from the fight and ushered Koops forward.

“Go on dear,” she whispered. “We’ll tend to the girl.” Koops looked back at Flurrie, then at Doopliss, then at Mario and Vivian. Quickly, his face turned to a scowl.

“T-this is for messing with my friends!” he yelled, his voice nasally and his hands balled into fists.

Doopliss ran up next, taking his hammer and posing it above Vivian’s head. The shadow tried to call out for her to dodge it, but she was too lost in her thoughts to notice.

Just as Doopliss swung his hammer, the shadow pushed Vivian out of the way. The blow sent a loud crack through the shadow’s body, one that made him yell in pain. Vivian tumbled into the back wall, her hat askew and hair all frazzled. Catching her breath, she looked up to see the shadow lying in a crumpled heap where she previously stood, Doopliss looking quite pleased with himself from a distance. Did Mario just save her? Even though she wasn’t even helping him?

“Go on Koopa man,” he grinned. “Your turn.”

Koops raised his arms in the air triumphantly, then dove into his shell. The shadow grimaced as the shell spun around faster, faster…

Suddenly, the shell launched at the shadow with a blazing speed. But just before Koops could land a finishing blow, he was launched back with a loud FWOOSH! The shadow blinked, and Koops was standing back with Doopliss, a hand on his hoodie as he patted out… flames?

“I’m sorry sis,” Vivian whispered from behind the shadow. “Mario’s the only one who’s been this kind to me…” She reached out to help the shadow up, to which he only fell back down.

“Oh goodness! Mario, please eat something, I don’t want to see you hurt again,” Vivian squeaked. The shadow pointed at the Shadow Siren, what about her?

“I’m going to help you, any way I can. It’s the least I can do for all the times you’ve helped me out. And I’m not turning my back on you, I promise.” 

The shadow nodded, and with a flourish, he pulled a brown star down from the sky, one of the Crystal Stars, and watched as it helped heal him back to full strength. The shadow jumped up, excited he was ok again.

“My turn,” Vivian said, as she dove into the floor, then back up again to punch Doopliss in the face, and hard. Doopliss curled back, clutching his nose.

“Ow! How dare you do that to me, the great Super Mario! Koopa man, help me out here!” He turned to Koops, but the Koopa Troopa was too busy trying to get a flame off his hoodie still.

“Stupid thing isn’t getting off!” he cried. Then the flame burst, and singed his nose. Koops was so startled he fell back onto his shell, and like a roly poly, he couldn’t get up.

“I can’t… go on…” he strained through his teeth. Flurrie pulled Koops by the arms out of the fight, and jumped in herself while the Yoshi child tended to the Koopa Troopa.

“It’s my turn now, Mario dear! Let’s beat these bozos!” Flurrie declared.

On her turn, Flurrie sucked in a big gasp, and blew it all out in the shadow and Vivian’s direction. She was trying to blow them out of the room.

The shadow stepped forward, and like it was second nature, he grabbed Vivian by the hand and thrust out his other arm, superguarding the attack.

“What the-” Doopliss stared at the move, jaw agape.

It was the shadow’s turn now. He pulled a star shaped object out of his pocket, and smashed it on the ground. Immediately, the air around the ceiling grew darker than before, as hundreds of shooting stars came crashing down on Flurrie and Doopliss. While the bodysnatcher seemed to be able to withstand the barrage, Flurrie fell to the ground, weak and tired.

“So many…” she groaned. “I’m sorry darling…”

It was now up to the Yoshi child, as he pulled Flurrie away via his mouth, laid her on top of Koops and Goombella, and then charged into the battle himself.

“I’m here Gonzales! Let’s kick some butt!” he shouted, a wicked grin on his face. Vivian grimaced, how old even was this kid?

On Doopliss’ command, the child took a deep breath and looked like he was… straining himself? After a few seconds, three Yoshi eggs popped out of his rear end. Vivian couldn’t help but gag a little.

“Kid, is everything ok?” she asked.

“It will be once you’re dead!” the kid yelled, tossing his eggs in the air. Vivian shrieked and pulled her hat down, in an attempt to shield herself from the horror of the colorful eggs. To her luck, Mario superguarded them all away once more. Vivian peeked out, then relaxed her shoulders once she knew it was safe.

“Ok then,” she whispered, flexing her knuckles. With a grand gesture, she dove into the floor and reappeared right in front of the Yoshi.

“You’re in time out, kid,” she snarled, before punching him in the face. The child yelped, but still stood firmly.

“That hurt, you creep!” he groaned.

The shadow walked up next, and pulled out a little bell in the shape of a sheep’s head. The second its high tone rang around the room, an entire flock of sheep came bouncing through. They looked so fluffy, so soft, like one could just lay their… head on…

Though Doopliss managed to withstand the barrage of adorable ewes, the Yoshi Kid couldn’t help but fall to the ground, snoring. Thinking nobody saw him, Doopliss idly kicked the Yoshi to the side.

“Ok, fine Slick. You took down all your partners,” he sighed, giving a shrug. “You still have to get through me though!” With that, he clapped his hands together, and a layer of fog swept throughout the room. He then took out his hammer and threw it into the air. It landed on Vivian, but she managed to defend herself with her hat.

“I’m alright, Mario,” she said when the shadow turned to see if she was ok. “It’s your turn now!”

The shadow nodded, and tapped another of his jumping badges he had equipped. Squinting through the fog, he leapt up high, and then landed back down on Doopliss’ head, a powerful blow that actually knocked the bodysnatcher back a little. Another punch from Vivian, and now Doopliss had really had enough. He jumped up as well, ready to deliver a hard hitting attack, but fell, thanks to all the fog obscuring his view.

“Stupid dense fog,” the bodysnatcher muttered to himself.

“I got this, Mario!” Vivian declared. She stepped in front of the shadow and held her hands out, muttering something under her breath. The shadow cocked his head to the side, wondering what the Shadow Siren had planned now, when suddenly a great flame burst around Doopliss, so hot that the shadow could feel it from across the room.

“AAAHH! WHAT THE-” he screeched, running around in a circle. Vivian brushed her gloves off, quite pleased with herself.

When the flames cleared, Doopliss collapsed to the floor, finally defeated. A flame still lingered on his overalls, like Koops with his hoodie. Suddenly, the flame blew up once again, surrounding Doopliss and tearing away at his clothes to reveal a ghost wearing a party hat and bow tie. A ruby star fell from under his sheets, landing at the shadow’s feet.

“You idiots! Fun sponges! Peanut brains!” The ghost shouted, jumping out the window as soon as he got to his feet. Silence lingered for a few minutes after that.

“Whoa! What happened?” Goombella asked, standing up from her daze.

“Who is this guy?” Koops continued.

“Hey, he dropped the Crystal Star!” the Yoshi Kid pointed out.

As though on cue, a bright light from the star enveloped the shadow, pushing away all the dust and mist, revealing a jolly plumber with a red cap.

“MARIO!” everyone exclaimed.

“We thought that freaky guy was you! But he wasn’t! It’s kinda confusing, but we’re glad you’re back!” Goombella explained. 

“We’re so very sorry for not having seen the truth earlier, dearie,” Flurrie sighed. Mario chuckled, it was perfectly alright.

“That being said, what’s with the Shadow Creep still?” the Yoshi child asked, pointing at Vivian. The Shadow Siren shuffled her tail around a little.

“Well, I uh…” she muttered.

Mario walked forward and explained what had happened, that Vivian helped him out when he was trying to get his name and body back from Doopliss, the ghost that was posing as Mario after their first battle. And also that she wasn’t all terrible once you got to know her. 

Vivian bowed her head in silent thanks, while Mario’s other friends breathed out a collective “oh”.

“I guess I was being a little hard on you then, lady,” Yoshi kid said. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m a little more concerned about how tough you can be for your age!” Vivian said.

“He was just born that way, to put it simply,” Koops chuckled.

“Well now, what about the Crystal Star?” Flurrie asked.

“Oh, right! My apologies!” Vivian squeaked. Hurriedly, she grabbed the ruby star off the floor and held it out towards Mario.

“Here you are!” she said.

Mario took the star from the Shadow Siren’s hands, and lifted it into the air. It circled around the plumber, granting him a greater strength before it lifted itself through the ceiling and into the sky.

“Well, that’s four down, Mario,” Goombella said, pulling out a textbook. “We just got three more Crystal Stars to find! Let’s head back to Frankly now to see where to go next!”

“I suppose that means I should take my leave then,” Vivian said, giving a sad smile. Before she could turn to leave, Mario tugged on her arm, she didn’t have to leave if she didn’t want to!

“Oh? Could I stay with you and the others, Mario? I mean, only if you guys would want me around,” Vivian questioned. Mario nodded, then gestured to the others. They all nodded as well.

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to burden anyone.”

“You’d never be a burden, my dear!” Flurrie exclaimed. “Please, come and join our band if you wish!”

Vivian made a happy squeak. “Ok then. I’ll join you guys! Let’s head off then!”

Everyone dashed out the door and down the stairs, cheering happily. All the way into Twilight Town, they chanted “Let’s-a go!” while Mario led the way. The plumber looked back as they ran through the village, seeing how happy his friends were.

It was good to be back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> goodness Yoshi kid was fun to write here :)  
> but also, thanks for reading! I'm thinking about maybe doing more Mario Bros stories in the future, one based on Paper Mario 64 in case you're curious.


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